Spain and Franco
course, this violence is incomparable to Franco ’ s frequent death sentences and thuggish violence which culminated in hundreds of thousands of deaths from 1939-75, but this recent violence cannot go without criticism and analysis. The ease at which Spain is being plunged into conflict indicates the fragility of the nation’s political hold over the public. New people are falling into the fascist light, with these anti-independence protesters seen carrying right-wing flags, performing the Nazi salute and participating in violence. These events have convinced many that Franco’s legacy still casts a shadow over the Spanish people. The acclaimed novelist Javier Cercas stated: ‘ This is the past that has not passed. The civil war is still here. ’ 7 Furthermore, the sudden successes of the far right-wing political party Vox are of great concern to manymembers of society. They have emerged as the first far-right wing party since the death of Franco. Despite their very slow rise to relative prominence, they are by no means negligible when it comes to politics. In the last 18 months alone Spain has undergone several important elections. In the Andalusian regional election (December 2018), the General Election (April 2019) and the European Elections (May 2019) Vox have gone from zero seats in all three to twelve seats, twenty-four seats and three seats respectively. Additionally, in the snap General Election held in November 2019, Vox further increased their political strength, rising from 24 seats to 52, placing them as the third largest political party by seats in Spain today. Following these elections, where Vox have progressed well, the two main parties have undergone losses. The centre-left government, the Socialist Workers ’ Party (PSOE), lost control of Andalusia to a non-socialist government for the first time in 36 years. Furthermore, Vox holds some similarities between their political views and with those of Franco’s regime. They are often reported to be misogynistic and the Prime Minster stated that Vox wishes to halt legal aid for women beaten by men. 8 Vox has openly stated their desire to deport thousands of Muslims from the country and to repopulate Spain with immigrants from Latin America, in what the President of Vox, Santiago Abascal, is calling ‘ Reconquista ’ (reconquest) of Spain, similar perhaps to Franco’s nationalist policies. They are also openly anti-feminist and homophobic. When characterizing Vox, Spain’s popular journalist, Iñaki Gabilondo states: ‘ Tome its Francoism . . . totally recognizable because I lived it ’ . 9 Their views towards Catalonia, as stated, also draws great parallels with Franco himself. For many this rise in far-right extremism epitomized by Vox, is reminiscent of Franco’s days; as Falcón puts it: ‘They’re [Vox] the same people [20 th -century fascists] except today it’s their grandchildren ’ . 10 Vox has risen with a populist approach and, as Jan Werner Müller stated, populists regard themselves as the only true representatives of the ‘ real ’ people. 11 Their ideals strike accord with what Franco’s government set out to achieve. Vox has managed to survive due to the PP’s failings, similar to the Brexit party’s success in the European elections of May 2019. They have used this advantage to elevate themselves, becoming advocates for a far-right manifesto. When analysing the similarities between Vox’s ideologies and Franco’s we must take care not to exaggerate facts. However, it is noteworthy that there are people who lived through the period of Franco’s rule and are also noticing a similar occurrence.
7 Freedland, J. (28/3/11) ‘ Spain and the lingering legacy of Franco ’, The Guardian. 8 Spain domestic violence: Trail of death shocks society. At https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46921214. 9 Gabilondo, I. (2019) ‘Is Franco’s shadow fading?’ The Observer Special report : 22. 10 Ibid. 11 Müller, J. (2016) What Is Populism? Pennsylvania.
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